Senior outside hitter Lexie Rang registered a team-best 63 kills over the weekend as the 10th-ranked UMSL volleyball team won four matches a the Ray Thrasher Classic. (Photo by Luke Rinne)

Volleyball
The 10th-ranked University of Missouri–St. Louis volleyball team opened its season by sweeping four matches at the Ray Thrasher Classic in Nashville, Tennessee. The Tritons knocked off tournament host Trevecca Nazarene 25-23, 25-17, 25-20 in Friday’s opener, followed it up with a 25-17, 18-25, 25-20, 25-17 win over No. 25 Lynn later that evening, then beat Alabama Huntsville (25-16, 25-23, 25-22) and Carson-Newman (25-14, 25-21, 23-25, 25-12) on Saturday. Lexie Rang led the offense, averaging 4.50 kills per set, while Kylie Adams averaged 4.14 digs per set. Caitlin Bishop totaled 144 assists in the four matches. UMSL (4-0) will travel to St. Augustine, Florida, for the Flagler Saints Classic, which begins Friday. Coach Ryan Young’s team will face Embry-Riddle, Flagler, Converse and Missouri Southern State.

Women’s Soccer
The Tritons opened their season by rallying for a 2-2 draw against Northwest Missouri State last Friday. They then defeated Washburn 3-1 on Sunday afternoon. Both matches were at Don Dallas Soccer Field. UMSL had four different goal scorers on the weekend, including junior back Jaycee Cotton. The latter of her two two goals was the game-winner in Sunday’s match. Jada Holloman, Candice Parziani and Sophie Stinemetz also scored goals. the Tritons (1-0-1) will play host to Ohio Dominican on Thursday and Cedarville on Saturday.

Men’s Soccer
UMSL opened its season with a 1-1 draw at Kentucky Wesleyan on Sunday afternoon in Owensboro, Kentucky. Luca Saewe scored the equalizer in the 57th minute for the Tritons after they fell behind 1-0 in the 44th minute. UMSL (0-0-1) will travel to Fayette, Missouri, to take on Central Methodist on Thursday in the only scheduled match of the week.

Men’s and Women’s Cross Country
Both UMSL cross country teams opened their seasons Friday evening at the Southwest Baptist Bearcat Invitational, run on the Bolivar Golf Course in Bolivar, Missouri. The men placed fifth with 121 points while the women were eighth with 219 points in the race. Benjamin VandenBrink was UMSL’s top finisher, coming in fourth with a time of 19 minutes, 41.66 seconds in the men’s 8-kilometer race. Jacob Warner also cracked the top 10, coming in ninth in 19:58.79. Lily Wagemann led the women’s team with a 25th-place finish in the women’s 5-kilometer race, clocking a time of 19:50.26, and Kayley Heeter was right behind her at 19:55.33. Both teams will be back on the course on Sept. 15 when they race at the Bradley Intercollegiate at Detweiler Park in Peoria, Illinois.

Women’s Tennis
The Tritons got off to a dominant start to the season, winning all nine matches in a 7-0 victory over Missouri Valley on Saturday at the UMSL Tennis Courts. Fifth-year senior Maja Lietzau pulled out a 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 victory over Queralt Carbo at No. 1 singles, and Hannah Tse, Anna Favaron, Sasha Lopez, Lauren Sweeney and Emma Bridges all won their singles matches in straight sets. The Tritons next play in the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Invitational Sept. 22-23 in Edwardsville, Illinois.

Men’s Tennis
UMSL rallied from a 2-1 deficit to defeat Missouri Valley 4-2 in their fall opener on Saturday at the UMSL Tennis Courts. The Tritons got singles wins from Raphael Kerndl, Joshua Mackey and Tanin Ramnath to complete the comeback. UMSL will return to the court Sept. 23-23 for the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Invitational in Edwardsville, Illinois.